musician | Polygamer

Polygamer #119: Bonnie Gordon of Star Trek & Con Artist

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Ken Gagne

Bonnie Gordon is an actor, voice actor, and musician extraordinaire. Having previously been a Starfleet ensign at Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas, she now voices the ship’s computer on the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. And as part of the Library Bards musical comedy duo, she sings pop culture songs rewritten with nerdy lyrics, from Spider-Man to the Princess Bride. Now she’s back on Kickstarter to crowdfund a solo jazz album, Con Artist, which will blend cover songs with her own original compositions.

In this interview, Bonnie and I talk about what it’s like to be inducted into the annals of Star Trek canon and to continue the legacy of Majel Barrett-Roddenberry; her brief stint reading for Kate Mulgrew’s character of Captain Kathryn Janeway; her creative method for writing parody songs; what motivated her to pursue a solo album, and musicians she’ll be collaborating with; and the defining moments in her life that she hopes to capture in song with Con Artist.

This episode is a collaboration with the Transporter Lock podcast, where it can also be found as episode #84.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for a transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:16:20 — 88.3MB) | Embed

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Polygamer #95: Dr. Jessica Hebert of the PDX Broadsides

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Ken Gagne

Dr. Jessica Hebert is a placentologist and nerdy musician with the PDX Broadsides, a Portland, Oregon-based pop-folk trio. Their recent, debut East Coast tour featured songs about Nathan Fillion, Settlers of Catan, and mental health. Jessica is now back home, where she continues her work studying the role of the placenta (the human body’s only temporary organ!) on gestational diabetes.

In this podcast interview, Jessica and I chat about the PDX Broadsides’ piratical origin, their creative songwriting process, why so many nerd musicians sing about Rosalind Franklin, and how to request vacation time from your day job to sing in a nerd band. We also dive into myths about the placenta, the value of communication in the sciences, and scientific role models.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:04:55 — 30.6MB) | Embed

Polygamer #34: Violinist Taylor Davis

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Ken Gagne

Taylor Davis is a renowned violinist whose video game, movie, and anime covers have earned her a loyal following. On YouTube, where she has over a million subscribers, her music videos employ stunning backdrops and intricate costumes inspired by the pop culture from which she draws her many tunes. Taylor has released six albums, including a Christmas album and, most recently, a self-titled album of original music. Her music can also be heard in rock band Critical Hit’s first album, as well as in the soundtrack to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Hearts Of Stone.

In this interview, Taylor and Ken discuss her recent debut tour of the United States and her upcoming European tour; how Patreon and Twitter give her direct access to her fans, and vice versa; whether making music for a living makes it feel more like work than play;how licensing rights influences what music videos are shot next; and her cautious optimism for the upcoming Final Fantasy VII remake.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 33:47 — 16.3MB) | Embed